<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Home, alive -That's all matters. by TheSkyAtMidnight</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26930344">Home, alive -That's all matters.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSkyAtMidnight/pseuds/TheSkyAtMidnight'>TheSkyAtMidnight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:21:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,276</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26930344</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSkyAtMidnight/pseuds/TheSkyAtMidnight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A 'Percy comes home to Sally after the Giant War' fic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Paul Blofis &amp; Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson &amp; Sally Jackson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Home, alive -That's all matters.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus Universes do not belong to me. Only to Rick Riordan. I'm just borrowing.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Annabeth</i>
  </p>
</div><br/>Annabeth has never seen Percy so tense before meeting his mother. Ever. The apartment has been painted a pale lilac. Percy stands still, staring at it.<p>“Come on, Seaweed Brain” she says, encouraging him.</p>
<p>She’ll be heading to her father’s after dropping him, as much as they can’t stand to stay apart, they need space, to figure out how they fit into the world now, with their friends - even themselves.</p>
<p>Percy’s nightmares are sometimes worse than hers. They often sleep together- cuddling, sometimes kissing each other to sleep. Chiron turns a blind eye- after all, only three heroes have ever made out of Tartarus alive.</p>
<p>“Percy?” she kisses him on the cheek, “Your mother’s waiting – Oh, we’ll take the stairs” she tells the gawking watchman.<br/>
Percy takes a shuddering breath, nods at the watchman, and they begin their ascent.</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Percy</i>
  </p>
</div><br/>He is glad Annabeth is there with him today, yesterday’s nightmares had been particularly bad.<p>He wants her to stay, but knows that they need time to figure stuff out. She’s still his best friend and girlfriend, but they’ve realized that confiding in each other about Tartarus isn’t exactly suiting them.</p>
<p>She goes to Rachel and He to Jason.</p>
<p>His mouth is dry as they reach the door. Somehow, he’s unable to move. <i>Mom </i>he thinks, he hasn’t seen her in such a long time.      But before he rings the doorbell, he pulls Annabeth into a kiss, one in which they reassure each other.</p>
<p>They break for air and she pulls him into a hug “It’ll be alright Seaweed Brain; she’ll be delighted to see you. “</p>
<p>“Thanks, Wise Girl” he says.  She bites her lip and looks away, one hand squeezing his.</p>
<p>He lifts a finger, rings the doorbell and waits, anticipation flooding through.</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Paul</i>
  </p>
</div><br/>Paul hears the doorbell ring and sighs, each time he can’t help hoping that its Percy and each time it isn’t.<p>“Coming” he calls as he walks over to the door. Sally is baking blue cookies in the kitchen, as she does every Friday, the cookies are eaten by the next.</p>
<p>He opens the door and freezes as he takes in his stepson- scratch that-son. Percy looks beaten and tired; he’s grown tall and his eyes remind him of a war veteran’s -<i>:he is that of course- </i>“Percy“ he breathes.</p>
<p>He pulls Percy into a hug, even as his cheeks turn wet from tears. He then notices Annabeth; she looks worse for the wear too but gives him a tired smile. “Come In” he invites both of them.”</p>
<p>“Paul, who….” is all he hears of Sally, before she falls silent, he rushes to take the tray of cookies and places it on the table.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Sally</i>
  </p>
</div><br/>Sally wonders why Paul is so quiet after she hears him open the door.<p>She puts the freshly-baked blue cookies in a tray and steps out the room, maybe she can offer their guest a few- “Paul, who…” and stills.</p>
<p>She doesn’t register that Paul has taken the tray, or that Annabeth is there too until later, the first thing she sees is … “Percy” she says voice soft. She’s surely crying, but he is too. “Mom” he croaks and she strides forward and into him.</p>
<p>She cries into his shirt and he into her hair, they don’t let go. She then turns to Annabeth who is looking as weary and sad as he is and pulls her into a hug. She stiffens and then relaxes into it.</p>
<p>“You’re here” she says in wonder. They give her small smiles that tell her of a bone deep tiredness. They are looking so forlorn that she tugs them both into her arms as much as she can.</p>
<p>Paul puts his arms on them from behind, and they stand there in a group hug – content- the world around them forgotten for some time.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Annabeth</i>
  </p>
</div><br/>Annabeth hates to break this comforting spell, but she must, she cannot miss her flight.<p>She pulls away slowly “I should be going Sally” she finds herself saying “I’m going to see Dad, he-it’s been-”</p>
<p>She sees an understanding glimmer in Sally’s eyes.  “You’re sure Annabeth? You could stay the night.” asks Paul. “I’m sure Paul.” She says as Sally hands her a Ziploc filled with cookies.</p>
<p>She thanks Sally and turns to Percy, drinking him in. He lands a kiss on her forehead “Take care Wise Girl.”  “You too Percy” she says, voice wobbling.</p>
<p>“I’ll see you down” states Paul firmly. She nods, she wants to stay but Percy needs time alone with his family and she will not intrude.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Paul</i>
  </p>
</div><br/>Paul walks out the door with Annabeth. He’s seen a kind of desperation in her eyes, she wants to stay, yet something is stopping her.<p>He keeps a comforting hand on her shoulder after they’re down and she leans into it. “You could stay Annabeth, we understand, you wouldn’t be intruding” She starts as though he’s spoken what she’s thinking and shakes her head “No, Paul. We’ll see each other more frequently once we go to New Rome. The both of you need time with him and…we need to learn to adjust being away from one another as well. We can’t act like we’re attached at the hip.”</p>
<p>This last bit she mutters under her breath and Paul suspects that something terrible has occurred on this quest to defeat Gaea, he meets Annabeth’s grey eyes with his, “Take care, Ms Chase. Remember, you’re our family too”</p>
<p>Her eyes fill with tears, she gives him a watery smile, nods, turns and walks out the gate.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Sally</i>
  </p>
</div><br/>In the fifteen minutes it takes Paul to come back up, Percy has devoured half the tray of cookies. “Leave some for Paul” she chides. He nods, his eyes roaming all over the place, taking it in.<p>He starts when Paul shuts the door.</p>
<p>“Just the door”<br/>
<br/>
He’s more skittish without Annabeth around she notices. “I know Mom” he mutters.</p>
<p>Paul seats himself opposite to him and voices the question that has been running through her head. “What happened on the quest?” he says, voice impossibly soft.</p>
<p>Her boy stiffens. “You don’t have to tell us if...” continues Paul.</p>
<p>She cuts him off “Percy, we’ll understand if you don’t want to. But I-We don’t want to wander on eggshells around you.” she says running her hand through his messy hair.</p>
<p>“Not everything at once“ he says firmly.<br/>
Both Paul and she assent. They want to understand and help him, not overwhelm.</p>
<p>Her son closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Percy</i>
  </p>
</div><br/>Percy wants to hug his mom and curl up on her lap and into a ball and never come out of that comforting space. He takes a deep breath to begin telling them, but he’s just so tired.<p>“Not today Mom” he croaks out, he just wants to be, with no worries, have a relatively normal evening.</p>
<p>His mom searches his face, eyes filled with worry and love. Paul gazes with patience and warmth and a calm steadiness he wishes he had.<br/>
“Tomorrow, if you want to” his mom says giving him an understanding smile.</p>
<p>And Paul switches the subject, telling him funny anecdotes of class, what TV he missed, all general normal mortal stuff and he smiles, he loves Mom and Paul.</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Sally</i>
  </p>
</div><br/>She gives Percy’s sleeping form one last look before going to sleep next to Paul.<p>He’s warned them that he often wakes up due to nightmares. She and Paul assure him that it’s alright.</p>
<p>Whatever the war has brought to their boy and their home, will be dealt with as it comes.</p>
<p>For now, Percy’s home- alive -and that’s all matters.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Titles are difficult.<br/>Thanks for reading.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>